Lucasfilm decrees the Star Wars expanded universe as non-canon

Knights of the Old Republic never really happened. Not only did it not happen a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, it never happened in the official Star Wars canon. That's what Lucasfilm is now claiming, along with every comic book, novel and video game to bear the Star Wars moniker.

So this isn't canon, but Jar Jar Binks is?!

"[George] Lucas always made it clear that he was not beholden to the EU [Expanded Universe]. He set the films he created as the canon. This includes the six Star Wars episodes, and the many hours of content he developed and produced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars," Lucasfilm stated in a recent blog post on the matter. "These stories are the immovable objects of Star Wars history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align."

I don't think anyone would argue with that - even if we might argue with Lucas' decision to helm the prequels himself. The next part is where things get serious.

"In order to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience, Star Wars Episodes VII-IX will not tell the same story told in the post-Return of the Jedi Expanded Universe."

Crazy! But perhaps not entirely unexpected, given the plethora of interweaving Star Wars spin-offs out there. In fact, it's so sprawling that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has seen it fit to specifically hire a story group that oversees and coordinates the creation of all things Star Wars, lest we get something like Patton Oswalt's proposed Star Wars/Marvel/Clash of the Titans crossover that we all secretly desperately want.

"While the universe that readers knew is changing, it is not being discarded. Creators of new Star Wars entertainment have full access to the rich content of the Expanded Universe," the statement continued.

"We have an unprecedented slate of new Star Wars entertainment on the horizon," Kennedy added. "We're set to bring Star Wars back to the big screen, and continue the adventure through games, books, comics, and new formats that are just emerging. This future of interconnected storytelling will allow fans to explore this galaxy in deeper ways than ever before."